Elder Takmari Briony

I have recently made a halt on my studies of the Forsaken and the Scourge for a great personal matter. This is also my reason for my absence from the guild and its recent meetings; the pull that I felt was far stronger to investigate myself than to deal with Shagonars’ recent appalling behaviour.

While spending many hours locked up in Deatholm conducting basic studies on the Scourge there (which so far have proven uninformative) I have suffered from a barrage of hallucination, dreams, or memories… I was not sure of what they until now. I also have no desire to share what I ‘saw’, it was difficult enough to deal with the first time I saw them.

As a result of these ‘visions’ I felt a strong… emotional pull to Southshore in the Hillsbrad Foothills. I travelled down through Silverpine Forest from Undercity to the Foothills and carried on to the outskirts of Southshore. The settlement was heavily guarded and, even with the aid of my demons, I knew that I would be unable to fend them off, so I snuck round the fringes of the town looking for a clue as to why I was there.

On the eastern side of the town I came across the graveyard, practically unguarded, though a few humans were still in sight. I decided it would be best to wait for nightfall so I retreated back to Tarren Mill and resigned myself to the inn where I sat in deep contemplation of the situation and preparing myself for whatever I might discover.

Night fell after a few hours wait, I found myself alone, save for some guards, in Tarren Mill. The Foothills themselves felt cold and empty as I ventured towards Southshore, no one, Horde or Alliance were to be seen. I headed back to the graveyard I found earlier; this time there was not a guard in sight. Shrouded in black robes I moved slowly round the graveyard examining the graves by the light of a small candle I had bought earlier. My searching paid off and I came across a grave that, at the time, shocked me greatly:

Takmari Briony Year 6 – 25 Brave and Beloved Daughter

I realised at that point that Southshore then must have been my home in life and my burial place. Also at the time of my death I was only 19 years of age, how… sad I suppose.

Spurred on by this discovery, I wanted, no I –needed- to find out more, who I was and what happened to me. Why am I dead? How did my body end up in Deathknell?

I was desperate to find out more but that would involve venturing into the center of the town where there undoubtedly was still guards. Remembering that there was a small alchemist lab in Tarren Mill, I quickly rode back there to disturb the owner of the lab and to use it to try to formulate a strong enough invisibility potion to allow me deep into the town. My Eye of Killrog would only prove useful for finding where I needed to go, but not for reading any documents that might contain my history.

It was not until the next night that I finally formulated the potion with the help of the other alchemist. Dismissing my demon, to help me be as unnoticeable as possible I went back to Southshore and drank the potion. The yellow, viscous potion trickled down my throat leaving a foul, bitter taste. I hoped whatever I may find would be worth that horrible taste that lingered for days. I snuck into the town, past the few guards completely unnoticed; my potion was a complete success.

After scouting through a few buildings I eventually found what I assumed to be the town hall, the most likely location of the obituaries, which I quickly found. Knowing the date of my death made it easier to find my details. They were as follows:

Takmari Briony, born to Reith Briony, Fathered by Serus Briony in the year 6 in their home at Southshore. During Takmari’s short life of 19 years she because a highly accomplished and respected Mage, absorbing knowledge from others and quickly had to venture to Stormwind to carry on her studies. It was on a break home to celebrate her younger brother, Brams’, birthday that her untimely death occurred.

Arriving in the town she was quickly informed that her brother and some other younger children of the town had snuck off to explore the Arathi Highlands and that a search party was about to depart.

Heading out to the Highlands the search party quickly split up to cover as much ground as possible. It was not long until Takmari found her brother and the other children, she found them running from a group of Witherbark Trolls who were chasing them down. Takmari directed the youngsters in the direction of other members of the search party while she bravely stayed to fight the Trolls ensuring the escape of the children.

Bram and the children found myself and a few other members of the search party and quickly told us what happened. Regrouping, a few members of the search party took the children back to safety while the rest of us headed to the Witherbark camp to find Takmari.

Slaughtering the majority of the camp, we eventually found her in a cave at the back already dead, her body and face had been mutilated in probably some sick voodoo practice and she had been blindfolded with leather straps that, without causing further mutilation could not be removed.

We took the body back to town and laid her to rest.

Only two nights after the burial, Takmari’ body has gone missing, the grave appeared to be dug up and the corpse stolen. The fate of her body has not been found out.

~ Serus Briony.

So the answer as to how I died has been answered, though it appears I may need to do some more research to find out why my body ended up in Deathknell.

Due to conflicting emotions I have been unable to face members of the guild as late, though I share this paper with them in the hopes that they will better understand me as I come to understand myself more now.

A great weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I now no longer feel like and empty shell wandering Azeroth, though whenever I am in the presence of a troll, I now feel a great unease.